I came to the United States from Afghanistan in late 1979 as a war refugee. For many years, I worked in the insurance industry, but as I traveled back and forth to Afghanistan to see my family, I saw a way to bridge my love for the two cultures. I began bringing beads made by refugees in Peshawar and that led to an interest in vintage textiles, carpets, woodwork, metals, clay- you name it! The crafts of Afghanistan reflect the long history as a center of enterprise in Central Asia of history and talent.

The economic situation in Afghanistan is improving slowly. I would like to be able to support more living artisans and help them make a decent living with the skills that have been handed down to them through the generations. I have not been able to go back and forth like I used to, but hope that it will happen again.

Statement/Mission

Afghan Tribal Arts specializes in hand carved natural beads made from semi-precious stones (jade, carnelian, lapis lazuli, etc.). As stated above, we also carry textiles and other crafts, mostly vintage. We have worked hard at getting our Etsy shop stocked with samples of our inventory and will continue to grow the shop there. We also have a website which has examples of past products. As almost everything is one-of-a-kind, it’s a challenge to keep current inventory on the site. We have found that the Etsy shop is the best solution for this right now. I have a bead show route between Wisconsin and Florida and can have textiles on hand for those who are interested. But, as the travel and show costs increase, I would like to do less traveling. I am open to trunk shows and events so get in touch with me if you would like to set something up. Afghan Tribal Arts is basically a wholesale operation. We are selling our products on Etsy just above wholesale.